BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:30 P.M.) – The jihadist rebels in southern Idlib have suffered several setbacks at the hands of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) over the last two weeks. These setbacks have left the jihadist rebels in a state of chaos as their forces have lost most of their territory in Hama and several areas inside the Idlib Governorate. With little to show for on the battlefield, the jihadist rebels, in particular, Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and Rouse the Believers, have resorted to their old tactics of beheading Syrian soldiers that are either alive or dead. Over the last week, the… Read on ->

China’s second aircraft carrier can carry at least 36 domestically developed J-15 fighter jets, some 50 percent more than the country’s first, state broadcaster reported on Tuesday. China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, can carry 24 J-15 fighter jets, China Central Television (CCTV) reported, noting the new ship’s increased number of fighter jets will add to its already considerable capability. Although the second carrier known as the Type 001A is similar to the Liaoning, it has an optimized flight deck, reduced weapon areas and a smaller superstructure with added deck areas, Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, told the Global Times on… Read on ->

Iran’s oil tanker Grace 1, released on Thursday from Gibraltar after being held there for over a month, will head to the Mediterranean Sea under a new name, Adrian Darya, the deputy head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization, Jalil Eslami, said on Friday. “At the request of its owner, Grace 1 tanker will head to the Mediterranean Sea under the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran having changed its name for Adrian Darya,” Eslami said as broadcast by Iranian television. He specified that the vessel would begin is journey after being refueled. Gibraltar’s authorities, supported by UK marines,… Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:40 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is rolling through the Idlib countryside today, as their forces managed to capture two more areas near the key city of Khan Sheikhoun. According to a military source near the front-lines, the Syrian Arab Army captured the town of Abideen and the village of Khirbat Abideen after breaking through the militant lines this evening. The source said the Syrian Arab Army is now combing through Abideen in order to secure the town. Since Thursday, the Syrian Arab Army has captured at least four sites from the jihadist rebels; this includes… Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:45 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army’s recent advances in southern Idlib have put them within striking distance of the key city of Khan Sheikhoun. In a new video from the front-lines in southern Idlib, the Syrian Arab Army can be seen targeting Khan Sheikhoun from their positions at the outskirts of this jihadist stronghold. https://youtu.be/WUGo4c0xer0 Khan Sheikhoun was captured during the militant offensive in southern Idlib in 2014; they would also capture several other towns around the city to close off this part of the Hama-Idlib Highway. The Syrian Arab Army is currently working to flank the… Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:10 P.M.) – A suicide bomber allegedly blew up his vehicle well before reaching his intended target in southern Idlib on Thursday, the Sputnik News Agency’s Arabic-language version reported. Citing a field source in the area, the Sputnik report claimed that the reason for the suicide bomber’s early detonation was likely due to confusion. In particular, the source alleges that the suicide bomber was likely confused after his vehicle came under heavy gunfire from the Syrian Army soldiers that were defending the town of Sukayk in southern Idlib. Apparently, the suicide bomber lost sight of the target and… Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:00 P.M.) – Hezbollah has released a new video this week showing their troops targeting an Israeli warship off the coast of Lebanon during the 2006 War. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=178&v=hXGyYrhrnpA The 2006 War was fought between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the Summer of 2006. The war itself, which lasted a month, resulted in the death of several people and large-scale destruction inside of Lebanon. In Lebanon, the war is celebrated as a victory for Hezbollah, with a commemoration ceremony held each year on its anniversary. Since the war, however, both sides have periodically traded hostilities along… Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:30 A.M.) – The Russian military’s S-400 system is still active near the city of Masyaf, the OSINT researcher Observer IL showed in a satellite image taken on August 11th. https://twitter.com/obs_il/status/1161966650993893376?s=21 The satellite image shows the Russian S-400 canisters in position, with no nets on the air defense system, something that was clarified by the Observer IL account. Another Twitter account later posted a photo showing the locations of the Russian Pantsir and S-400 components near Masyaf. https://twitter.com/rickrodan/status/1162030271874633728?s=21 The Russian S-400’s location is not far from the newly erected Syrian S-300 system, which completed its installation last month.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:20 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their large-scale advance in southern Idlib last night, as their troops captured two more towns from the jihadist rebels. Led by the Tiger Forces, the Syrian Army began last night’s attack by capturing the small town of Madaya near the jihadist stronghold of Khan Sheikhoun. Following the capture of Madaya, the Syrian Army began to immediately secure the town in order to prevent the jihadist rebels from Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham from reentering. The Syrian Army’s next target after Madaya was the hilltop town of Tal Al-Arjahi, which was briefly… Read on ->

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abd Mahdi, following a mysterious blast that hit a munitions depot in Baghdad, has ordered the air defences to immediately bring down any aerial vehicle that will violate the country’s airspace, the government’s press service said on Thursday. The decision came after a blast hit the ammo depot in the Iraqi capital on Monday, leaving one civilian killed and dozens injured. Though the causes of the explosion remain unknown, the incident has given rise to a number of theories, including that Israel might have been allegedly behind the airstrike on the depot belonging to the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces…. Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:00 A.M.) – For the third night in a row, the Russian Hmeimim Airbase has come under attack by jihadist missiles fired from the Idlib-Latakia axis near the Turkish border. According to a military report from the nearby city of Jableh, the jihadist rebels fired a number of grad missiles towards the Hmiemim Airbase last night. This prompted the Russian military to activate their air defenses in order to intercept all of the enemy missiles before they could reach the Hmeimim Airbase. Following the attempted attack by the jihadists, the Russian Air Force unleashed a massive assault across… Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:30 A.M.) – The jihadist rebel launched a new counter-offensive on Thursday to retake the areas they lost to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) at the Sukayk front in southern Idlib. Led by Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and Rouse the Believers, the jihadist rebels began their counter-offensive in southern Idlib by pushing the Syrian Army from the large hilltop of Tal Tari to the town of Sukayk. The jihadist rebels then launched a suicide attack on the Syrian Arab Army’s defenses at the Sukayk axis. This would follow with a fierce battle at the outskirts of Sukayk as the… Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:00 A.M.) – The Turkish-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) has sent a large number of reinforcements to the Hama and Idlib fronts to help their allied forces retake the territories they lost to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). According to the NLF’s official media wing, they redeployed troops from the Afrin region of Aleppo to the Idlib and Hama front-lines this week. These reinforcements should provide a much-needed boost to the militants that are struggling to hold their ground around the strategic city of Khan Sheikhoun in the southern part of the Idlib Governorate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHeEEDezofY The National Liberation… Read on ->

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:30 A.M.) – The Syrian air defenses intercepted a hostile missile this evening near Masyaf and Meshta Al-Helou in the Hama and Homs governorates. According to a military report, the hostile missile was intercepted near the city of Masyaf by the Syrian air defenses at 11:06 P.M. (local time). The report said the missile came from Lebanon, which means it was most likely fired by the Israeli military. Another missile was intercepted near the town of Meshta al-Helou as it was making its way to the Tartous port area.

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:45 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their advance in southern Idlib on Thursday, seizing another town from the jihadist rebels near the key city of Khan Sheikhoun. According to a military source near the front-lines, the Syrian Army’s Tiger Forces captured the town of Madaya after a fierce battle with the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham. Following the capture of Madaya, the Syrian Army worked to secure the town, while clearing several mines and IEDs that were left behind by the jihadists. As a result of this advance on Thursday, the Syrian Army has… Read on ->

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